French shipping company Louis Dreyfus Armateurs (LDA) has joined the International Windship Association (IWSA). The move follows a number of steps by the LDA Group to further the development of primary renewable solutions.

LDA President, Edouard Louis-Dreyfus, states “we are very excited by the development of wind solutions as a key answer to the decarbonisation challenges we are facing today and it is only natural for us to join the International Windship Association in its drive to further develop these technologies.”

The move follows the company’s decision to install an Airseas SeaWing parafoil on the RoRo Ville de Bordeaux from 2020, following a successful trial. The 154-metre long, 5,200 dwt RoRo was specially designed with cargo deck capacity of 6,720 m2 to carry Airbus components to Bordeaux.

The 1000m2 parafoil is intended to operate at heights above 100m and was originally expected to result in average fuel savings of around 20%, with a payback period of around 5 years. The parafoil is autonomously operated. The system can be launched, operated and refolded autonomously.

The operating system relies on the real-time collection and analysis of meteorological and oceanic data in real-time. SeaWing adapts to this information in order to optimise its performance as well as ensure maximum safety.

LDA also initiated the design of a large deep-sea RoRo vessel with full integration of wind assisted propulsion in early 2019 and plans to continue development work in this field.

The International Windship Association is a member driven not-for-profit association with over 100 members and registered supporters worldwide and works with the industry, policy makers and regulators to further innovation, development and market uptake of wind propulsion for commercial shipping.

‘We are delighted to welcome the Louis Dreyfus Armateurs group to the IWSA, LDA are a major player in the shipping industry with over 165 years experience and a really forward-thinking approach to decarbonisation.’ states Gavin Allwright, IWSA Secretary General. He adds; ‘Wind-assist and primary wind propulsion is increasingly being viewed as a credible, viable and economic option and we look forward to working with the LDA team to further the uptake of 21st century wind propulsion solutions for the commercial fleet.’

LDA Group owns, charters and operates over 100 vessels worldwide and has been searching for ways to significantly reduce emissions along with their customer Airbus.